Exploring the Quality Paradigms in Integrated Care: The Need for Emergence and Reflection

There are four quality paradigms, of which the Empirical and Reference paradigm fit best in stable circumstances, and the Reflective and Emergence paradigms, which fit best in unstable circumstances.

This study aims to explore the use of the four quality paradigms in integrated care, and to shed light on the different paradigmatic commitments and different perspectives on quality.

Co-Design for People-Centred Care Digital Solutions: A Literature Review

The implementation of people-centred care requires strategies that respond to local conditions and contexts, with the participation of local stakeholders in collaborative approaches such as co-design. Within this framework, the authors performed a literature review to identify the most implemented practices in health and social care services for co-designing digital solutions.

Nothing for us, without us: opportunities for meaningful engagement of people living with NCDs

People living with NCDs (PLWNCDs) are experts in their own right and if meaningfully engaged can be key partners and drivers in the co-creation, implementation and evaluation of NCD policies, programs, and services. 

This report is a result of the WHO Informal Consultation on PLWNCDs and outlines the participatory methods, main themes discussed and key next steps to further support meaningful engagement.

Nursing Care Coordination for Patients with Complex Needs in Primary Healthcare: A Scoping Review

Millions of people worldwide have complex health and social care needs. Care coordination for these patients is a core dimension of integrated care and a key responsibility for primary healthcare. Registered nurses play a substantial role in care coordination.

This review draws on previous theoretical work and provides a synthesis of care coordination interventions as operationalized by nurses for complex patient populations in primary healthcare.

Co-Creating Descriptors and a Definition for Person-Centred Coordinated Health Care: An Action Research Study

The aim of this study was to co-create a definition and generic descriptors for person-centred coordinated care for Ireland generated from service users’ narratives.

An overarching action research approach was used to engage and empower people to tangibly impact health policy and practice. Through focus groups and a qualitative survey, primary data were collected from a national sample of health services users, caregivers and health care service users’ representative groups. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. Three major themes were co-produced as essential care elements. These were: ‘My experience of healthcare’, ‘Care that I am confident in’ and ...

Physician Assistants and Nurse Practitioners in Primary Care Plus: A Systematic Review

Shifting specialist care from the hospital to primary care/community care (also called primary care plus) is proposed as one option to reduce the increasing healthcare costs, improve quality of care and accessibility.

The aim of this systematic review was to get insight in primary care plus provided by physician assistants or nurse practitioners.

JICA Special Issue: Integrated Palliative and End of Life Care for People with Advanced Dementia or Frailty

This special issue now seems uncannily prescient in view of the devastating impact of COVID-19 on people with advanced dementia or severe frailty, particularly in care homes.

The pandemic has heightened awareness of the possibility of a sudden and rapid transition from relative health to a palliative or end of life stage. This has opened up conversations about the potential burden from intensive treatments that are likely to be futile and the benefits of advance care planning.

The collection of papers in this special issue will be of interest to readers involved in planning, commissioning or delivering palliative and end ...

State of Commitment to Universal Health Coverage

The State of commitment to universal health coverage (UHC) provides a multi-stakeholder consolidated view on the state of progress being made towards UHC at country and global levels.

The review is political, country-focused and action-oriented in nature and complements the more technical and global UHC monitoring report focusing on UHC indicators on service coverage and financial protection.

The State of UHC Commitment  follows the UHC Political Declaration’s Key Targets, Commitments and Follow-up Actions and support national accountability and advocacy processes to ensure political leaders are held accountable for their UHC commitments.

The synthesis report summarises the state of UHC ...

Use of Dementia Assessment Sheet for Community-based Integrated Care System 8-items (DASC-8) for the screening of frailty and components of comprehensive geriatric assessment

Comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA)—a key tool for geriatric medicine—is commonly used to assess older people’s health status and frailty. However, performing CGA in outpatient clinics is difficult because the assessment of cognition, activities of daily living (ADLs), depression, quality of life (QoL), nutrition, medications and social conditions is time consuming and requires the cooperation of medical staff. Frailty—an aspect of geriatric medicine that indicates the weakness of the body—is a critical measure of older adults’ physical function.

The Dementia Assessment Sheet for Community-based Integrated Care System 8-items (DASC-8) is a validated and simple ...

Indicators of an Integrated Home Care Model Shaped by the Needs of Patients Discharged from the Emergency Department

Developing community care models aims to satisfy the needs of patients’ in-home care comprehensively. This is crucial to decrease adverse events and prevent rehospitalization.

The growing burden of chronic diseases, patients experiencing fragmented care, and increasing demand for coordination across providers in the health and social sector correlates with the need for the integration of care. The starting point in developing an integrated care strategy should be identifying and assessing population needs.

Models of integrated care may enhance patient satisfaction, increase the perceived quality of care, and enable access to services. The term ‘new models of care’ refers to a ...